Our phones rang off the hook, and emails flooded our inboxes immediately following the government’s Oct. 15th announcement that Social Security recipients will not see an increase in benefits next year.

The main question: should a client file for Social Security benefits by the end of the year to avoid the higher Medicare Part B premiums in 2016? In most cases, this sort of thinking is like prescribing a lobotomy to deal with a headache.

Don’t get caught off guard with questions about the maximum taxable earnings limits or the retirement earnings test exempt amounts. Print your copy of the fact sheet and have it readily available to answer your clients’ questions.